I talked a little longer with Angel Boy while he did a check up, all light conversation as the chatterbox couldn't stand the silence, until he cleared me to leave the medical wing. I thought that some of the tests he did before letting me go were a bit unnecessary, since he did such a good job patching me up, but he insisted. Something about catching the signs before it becomes a problem.
After parting ways, I tried to find my way to the room being used as the guild's office. A big part of me just wanted to hide out in my room, watching TV and avoiding everyone for a few weeks, but I forced myself to man up.
I needed a job. Something I could do to even remotely pull my weight in this guild. I was already in debt with them, an amount that only seemed to grow as time went on. I needed to do something about that if I ever wanted to be free of the guild. Plus, after hearing what I did while I was unconscious, I'd better get a move on before I end up as a discarded pawn.
I made my way through the maze of hallways, making a few wrong turns along the way. Okay, maybe a lot of wrong turns. I was still pretty unfamiliar with the unnecessarily large building. It was way too much space for six people and I knew for a fact that they were using less than half of the building.
Finally, though, I made it. Full of buzzing anxiety, I completely forgot to knock and pushed the door open. When I stepped inside, Ash and Victor were the only ones there. They were working away at computers and thick stacks of documents, looking incredibly busy.
Ash lifted his head at the sound of the door opening and gestured for me to come in, not seeming too upset at my lack of manners. I tentatively treaded across the carpeted floor, stopping in front of his desk. He waited patiently for the time it took for me to gather up my courage to speak, a hard task after I already fudged up not even two seconds in.
"I heard from Milo that you don't want me going into dungeons anymore." I wasn't asking, but I didn't want to hit him with the job question right off the bat.
Ash searched my face for any displeasure with this before he nodded. "You aren't suited to be a hunter. Plus, after the last one, I figured you would agree with taking a break."
I heard a snort and saw Victor trying to cover a snigger out of the corner of my eye. Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. It was super funny how I almost died, after all.
"I'm more than okay with that. I certainly don't have the best track record with dungeons," I said, kicking out my bum foot to emphasize.
The corner of Ash's mouth slanted upwards at my attempt at humor. "Don't worry, you won't be expected to fight at the tournament either. Your job will just be to cheer us on, nothing dangerous."
Thanks for the perfect segue, Ash.
"Actually, about that, I was wondering if you had a job I could do? Something to help out the guild, you know, since I'm staying out of dungeons now," I asked.
The question seemed to surprise Ash. "A job, huh?" he murmured, thinking about it.
I held my breath in anticipation of his response. Being around Ash made me nervous. Before, I had thought that we would be able to get along, since he seemed to care about me, unlike the others. However, I had no idea that he was hiding such a ruthless side after tricking me with crackers.
I didn't know what to expect with him anymore. He said he was keeping me out of dungeons for my own well-being, but was it really? Or did he just not want to have to protect someone so worthless as a C rank hunter with no talent?
Maybe this was just me being paranoid, but I equated not being allowed into dungeons as being useless. Logic would say to get rid of the dead weight, aka me. After I almost died because of Ash's test, I no longer trusted he had my best interests in mind.
It was actually kind of crazy that I was here asking him for a job, but I didn't really have another option. I don't have an ID, so it's not like I can go work somewhere else. I just hoped Ash wouldn't throw me to the lions in the guise of putting me to work.
"How are you with finances?" Ash asked eventually.
Before I could even open my mouth, Victor burst out with, "No!"
I turned to see the man had launched himself out of his seat, both hands braced on the desk holding himself up. His expression was wild with how quick he had interjected.
"You can't be thinking of making us work together, Ash!" Oh, what? Yeah, no thank you. I agree with Victor on this point, please don't make us work together.
Ash appeared to be quite taken aback by Victor's protest and tried to sooth him. "You could use the help, Victor. It's gotten to be too much for just the two of us to handle."
Victor shook his head, loosing hair from the combed back style it had once been. "I don't need help, especially from someone like him," he hissed angrily, jabbing a finger at me.
The vehement rejection stung and I hurried to interrupt before I had to hear anymore. "I wouldn't be any good at that stuff, math was never really my thing. I can cook, or clean, or… oh, I don't know. Is there something else I could do?"
Ash looked between me and Victor and sighed, scrubbing a hand down his tired face. I could see the dark circles under his eyes and I wondered if he was still struggling with his insomnia. Not that it made him look any less handsome, which I totally wasn't jealous of.
"You aren't here to be a janitor, Grey," he said, frowning.
"I don't mind, really!" Please, I have no problem cleaning toilets, just don't stick me with Victor.
Another sigh. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
I nodded, and then remembered to use my words. "Yes." Well, no, not really. Who wants to spend their entire day cleaning? I'll take what I can get, though.
"Fine, who am I to say no?" I grinned in victory as Ash continued. "What do we pay for that kind of work?" he mused.
I'm getting paid? Sweet! Yes, I know that unpaid labor is kind of a crime, but I'm not really in the position to be arguing that. Debt enslavement is also against the law, but my creditor is an SS ranker. Rules are suggestions to people like Ash.
"Um, actually, instead of money, could you just consider it as paying off what you paid for my medical bills?"
Ash frowned as he looked at me, and I tried to guess what he was really thinking. "You don't need to pay that back, Grey. Just consider it as taking care of a guild member."
Victor scoffed quietly, but I still heard him. He was probably thinking that Ash just said a load of crap. To be fair, I didn't really believe him either.
"I know, I just don't want to be a burden." Really, I just didn't want to owe them anything, but I don't think that's something I should say out loud.
"How about this, then?" Ash proposed. "Half of your wages can go towards the medical bills and the other half will be yours to spend?"
I thought about it, and I really liked the idea. It would mean that I would have some savings in case of an emergency, as well as actually having some money to my name. The previous me might have had some money, but I didn't actually have access to it.
"Yeah, that's great."
Ash smiled. "Fantastic. We can talk more about it later, how about you get some rest? You're still recovering, so take the rest of the day off and you can start tomorrow."
I thanked him and left, not making eye contact with Victor on my way out. Once I got a few feet from the doors, I turned down the next hallway and slid to the floor, back against the wall.
I hadn't noticed it at the time, but I had been shaking from nerves throughout the conversation. Now that it was over, my knees got weak and I had to take a moment to recover.
I had never been good in situations like these, even back in my old world. Social anxiety made things difficult enough, but having to advocate for myself against a boss with muddy morals? That was a whole different ballpark.
At any rate, though, it actually went fairly well. I got what I wanted. I had a job now, and I was going to be making money. And now, maybe someday at least, I can get out of this guild.
A guy can dream, right?